Dakar Rally

Off-road rally raid

"Paris-Dakar Rally" redirects here. For the video game, see Paris-Dakar Rally (video game).

Dakar Rally

Category| Rally raid
Region| Europe and Africa (1979–2007)
South America (2009–2019)
Saudi Arabia & Middle East (2020–present)
Inaugural season| 1979
Drivers' champion|  Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Cars)
Daniel Sanders (Bikes)
Martin Macík (Trucks)
Nicolas Cavigliasso (Challenger (T3))
Brock Heger (SSV (T4))
Carlos Santaolalla (Classics)
Jordi Juvanteny (Mission 1000)
Official website| Dakar.com
Current season

The Paris – Dakar route for the 1981 edition.

Thierry Sabine, founder of the Dakar Rally, pictured in 1986.

1981 Dakar competitor Rolls-Royce Corniche.

Countries the rally has been through from 1979 to 2007. Orange countries were only travelled through in the 1992 race to Cape Town; that year, participants used maritime transport to get from the Republic of the Congo to Angola, bypassing Zaire.

Countries through which the Dakar Rally has been from 2009 to 2018 since it was moved from the previous Paris-Dakar route due to security concerns. Cities included are major start/end points.

Tracks through the Sahara desert in Mauritania.

Cars on display in 1993 in Paris.

A support truck during the 2004 Dakar.

2011 Dakar Rally personal main prize (trucks T4).

The Dakar Rally (French: Le Rallye Dakar) or simply "The Dakar" (Le Dakar), formerly known as the Paris–Dakar Rally (Le Rallye Paris-Dakar), is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO). It is an off-road endurance event traversing terrain much tougher than conventional rallying, and the vehicles used are typically true off-road vehicles and motorcycles, rather than modified on-road vehicles. Most of the competitive special sections are off-road, crossing dunes, mud, camel grass, rocks, and erg. Stages vary from short distances up to 800–900 kilometres (500–560 mi) per day. The rough terrain, driver fatigue, and lack of skill usually results in accidents and serious injuries.

The event began in 1978 as a rally from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal. Between 1992 and 2007 some editions did not start in Paris or did not arrive in Dakar, but the rally kept its name. Security threats in Mauritania led to the cancellation of the 2008 rally, and from 2009 to 2019 the rally was held in South America.[1][2][3] Since 2020, the rally has been held in Saudi Arabia. The rally is open to amateurs and professionals, with professionals typically making up about eighty percent of participants.

## History

[edit]

### Predecessors

[edit]

The Mediterranean Rally (also known as Algiers-Cape Town Rally) was a trans-Africa rally run in 5 editions between 1951 and 1961.[4] It evolved from the original mixed road and off-road rally to a fully off-road endurance event, during the pioneer years of trans-Africa rallies.

### Crossing the Sahara

[edit]

The race originated in December 1977, a year after Thierry Sabine got lost in the Ténéré desert whilst competing in the 1975 "Rallye Côte-Côte" between Abidjan and Nice[5] and decided that the desert would be a good location for a regular rally, on the lines of the 1974 London–Sahara–Munich World Cup Rally, the first automobile race to cross the Sahara Desert twice.[6][7]

In 1971, ex-Cream drummer Ginger Baker used the unproven Range Rover to drive from Algeria to Lagos, Nigeria to set up a recording studio and jam with Fela Kuti. Predating the Paris-Dakar Rally the subsequent documentary is replete with such terrain, and documents the vehicle's endurance.[8]

### Early growth

[edit]

182 vehicles took the start of the inaugural rally in Paris, with 74 surviving the 10,000-kilometre (6,200 mi) trip to the Senegalese capital of Dakar. Cyril Neveu was the event's first winner, riding a Yamaha motorcycle. The event rapidly grew in popularity, with 216 vehicles taking the start in 1980 and 291 in 1981.[9] The privateer spirit of early racers tackling the event with limited resources encouraged such entrants as Thierry de Montcorgé in a Rolls-Royce and Formula 1 driver Jacky Ickx with actor Claude Brasseur in a Citroën CX, in the 1981 race won by two-time winner Hubert Auriol.[6]

In 1982, there were 382 racers, more than double the number that took the start in 1979. Neveu won the event for a third time, this time riding a Honda motorcycle, while victory in the car class went to the Marreau brothers, driving a privately entered Renault 20. Auriol captured his second bikes class victory in 1983, the first year that Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi competed in the rally, beginning an association that would last until 2009.

At the behest of 1983 car class winner Jacky Ickx, Porsche entered the Dakar in 1984, with the total number of entries now at 427.[9] The German marque won the event at their first attempt courtesy of René Metge, who had previously won in the car category in 1981, whilst Ickx finished sixth. Gaston Rahier meanwhile continued BMW's success in the motorcycle category with back-to-back wins in 1984 and 1985, the year of Mitsubishi's first victory of 12 in the car category, Patrick Zaniroli taking the spoils. The 1986 event, won by Metge and Neveu, was marred by the death of event founder Sabine in a helicopter crash, his father Gilbert taking over organisation of the rally.

### Peugeot and Citroën domination

[edit]

The 1987 rally marked the start of an era of increased official factory participation in the car category, as French manufacturer Peugeot arrived and won the event with former World Rally champion Ari Vatanen. The 1987 event was also notable for a ferocious head-to-head duel between Neveu and Auriol in the motorcycle category, the former taking his fifth victory after Auriol was forced to drop out of the rally after breaking both ankles in a fall.[9] The 1988 event reached its zenith in terms of entry numbers, with 603 starters. Vatanen's title defence was derailed when his Peugeot was stolen from the service area at Bamako. Though it was later found, Vatanen was subsequently disqualified from the event, victory instead going to compatriot and teammate Juha Kankkunen.[9]

Peugeot and Vatanen returned to winning ways in 1989 and 1990, the latter marking Peugeot's final year of rally competition before switching to the World Sportscar Championship. Sister brand Citroën took Peugeot's place, Vatanen taking a third consecutive victory in 1991. The 1991 event also saw Stéphane Peterhansel take his first title in the motorcycle category with Yamaha, marking the beginning of an era of domination by the Frenchman.

For the 1992 event, the finish line moved to Cape Town, South Africa in a bid to combat a declining number of competitors, where GPS technology was used for the first time.[9] Auriol became the first person to win in multiple classes after taking Mitsubishi's second victory in the car class, while Peterhansel successfully defended his motorcycle category title. The 1993 rally entry list slumped to 153 competitors, around half of the preceding year's figure and around a quarter of that of 1988. The event was the last to be organised by Gilbert Sabine and the Amaury Sport Organisation took over the following year. With the finish line now back in its traditional location of Dakar, Bruno Saby won a third title for Mitsubishi and Peterhansel took a third straight success in the motorcycle category.

The 1994 event returned to Paris after reaching Dakar, resulting in a particularly grueling event. Pierre Lartigue took Citroën's second win in acrimonious circumstances, as Mitsubishi's leading drivers were forced to withdraw from exhaustion after traversing some particularly demanding sand dunes in the Mauritanian desert that the Citroën crews had opted to skip.[10] Peterhansel's did not compete due to a disagreement between Yamaha and the race organizers over the regulations. Edi Orioli claimed a third title in the bikes category.[9] The 1995 and 1996 events begin in the Spanish city of Granada, with Lartigue racking up wins for Citroën in both years. Peterhansel returned to take a fourth bikes category win in 1995, but lost to Orioli in 1996 because of refuelling problems.[9]

### Mitsubishi in the ascendancy

[edit]

The 1997 rally ran exclusively in Africa for the first time, with the route running from Dakar to Agadez, Niger and back to Dakar. Citroën's withdrawal due to a rule change paved the way for Mitsubishi to take a fourth victory. Japan's Kenjiro Shinozuka became the first non-European to win the event. Peterhansel equalled Neveu's record of five motorcycle category wins in 1997, before going one better in 1998, when the event returned to its traditional Paris-Dakar route. 1998, Dakar veteran Jean-Pierre Fontenay posted another win for Mitsubishi in the car class.

1999 started in Granada and a maiden success for erstwhile Formula One and sports car driver Jean-Louis Schlesser, who had been constructing his own buggies since 1992. With the help of Renault backing, Schlesser overcame the works Mitsubishi and Nissan crews to win, whilst Peterhansel's decision to switch to the car category allowed Richard Sainct to take BMW's first title in the bikes category since 1985. Schlesser and Sainct both successfully defended their titles in 2000, traversing the route from Dakar to the Egyptian capital of Cairo.

2001 was the final time that the rally used the familiar Paris-Dakar route, and was notable for Mitsubishi's Jutta Kleinschmidt, as she was the first woman to win the rally – albeit only after Schlesser was penalised one hour for unsportsmanlike conduct.[11] Fabrizio Meoni took the first Dakar win for Austrian manufacturer KTM, beginning a winning streak that lasted through 2019. The 2002 began in the French town of Arras and long-time Dakar participant Hiroshi Masuoka won the event for Mitsubishi (Masouka had led for much of the previous year's rally.) The 2003 rally featured an unorthodox route from Marseille to Sharm El Sheikh. Masuoka defend his title after teammate and long-time leader Peterhansel was plagued by mechanical problems in the penultimate stage.[12] Sainct meanwhile took honours in the motorcycle category, the third title for both him and KTM.

### Mid-2000s

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By 2004, the entry list had increased to 595, up from 358 in 2001, with a record 688 competitors starting in 2005.[9] Alongside Mitsubishi and Nissan, Volkswagen now boasted a full factory effort, while Schlesser's Ford-powered buggies and BMWs of the German X-raid team proved thorns in the side of the big budget works teams. The 2004 route was from Clermont-Ferrand to Dakar, and was the year Peterhansel emulated Hubert Auriol's feat of winning the rally on both two wheels and four. The Frenchman defended his title in 2005, when the rally began for the first time in Barcelona. In the bikes category, KTM continued their success with Nani Roma in 2004, who switched to the car category the following year, and Cyril Despres in 2005.

The 2006 event moved to Lisbon. Nissan pulled out having failed to provide effective opposition to Mitsubishi, who took a sixth consecutive victory, this time with former skiing champion Luc Alphand after Peterhansel committed a series of errors late in the rally.[13] Peterhansel made amends in 2007, however, taking his third title in the car category for Mitsubishi after a close contest with Alphand after the increasingly competitive Volkswagens retired with mechanical problems. In what would be the final African event of the Dakar, Despres took his second title in the bikes category, having conceded victory in 2006 to Marc Coma after suffering an injury.

### 2008: Hungary and Romania as a Temporary Replacement

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The 2008 event, due to start in Lisbon, was cancelled on 4 January 2008 amid fears of attacks in Mauritania following the 2007 killing of four French tourists.[14] Chile and Argentina offered to host subsequent events,[15][16] which were later accepted by the ASO for the 2009 event.[17]

Later in the year the ASO created a new event, the 2008 Central Europe Rally, to fill the void created by the cancellation of 2008 edition of the Dakar.[14] The ASO legally deferred all entries for 2008 Dakar to this event which served as the legal 2008 edition of the Dakar in Hungary and Romania. It was intended to be part of a series known as the Dakar Series.[18][19]

### South America

[edit]

The 2009 event, the first held in South America with a respectable 501 competitors, saw Volkswagen take its first win in the Dakar as a works entrant courtesy of Giniel de Villiers. Initially, teammate and former WRC champion Carlos Sainz led the race comfortably until crashing out,[20] but went on to win the event in 2010. After a poor showing in 2009, Mitsubishi withdrew from the competition and left Volkswagen as the sole works entrant. The German marque won the race for a third time in 2011, this time with Nasser Al-Attiyah, before they withdrew to focus on their upcoming WRC entry and leaving the Dakar with no factory participants in the car class. In the bikes, Despres and Coma stretched KTM's incredible unbroken run of success. Both tied on three victories apiece after Coma's third win in 2011.

2018 rally in Peru The route passed through the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, the world's largest salt desert.

In the 2012 rally, the X-raid team came to the fore, now using Minis in lieu of BMWs. Peterhansel had joined the team in 2010 after Mitsubishi's departure, but had been unable to challenge the Volkswagen drivers. Following Volkswagen's withdrawal, Peterhansel was able to secure his fourth win in the car category and his tenth in total, his main opposition coming from within his own team. Peterhansel successfully defended his title in 2013 as the Damen Jefferies buggies of Sainz and Al-Attiyah failed to last the distance. Despres also racked up a further two wins for KTM in the bikes class in 2012 and 2013, bringing his tally to five, aided by Coma's absence due to injury in the latter year. Coma struck back on his return to the Dakar in 2014, taking a comfortable fourth title and a 13th in succession for KTM, whilst Nani Roma emulated Auriol and Peterhansel by taking his maiden title in the cars class a decade on from his victory on two wheels – albeit only after team orders by X-raid slowed Peterhansel.[21]

Peugeot returned for the 2015 event with an all-new, diesel-powered, two-wheel drive contender, but failed to make an impact as X-raid's Minis once more dominated. Al-Attiyah won the event in his second year for the team, while Coma racked up a fifth title in the bikes after the defection of long-time rival Despres to the car class and Peugeot. Peugeot did however see success in 2016 with Peterhansel behind the wheel, racking up his 6th win in the car category, and again in 2017 and 2018 until Peugeot decide to officially leave the competition. In 2019, which was the first Dakar Rally to be held in just one country (Peru), Toyota won for the first time with Nasser Al-Attiyah (in his third victory with three different manufacturers). The bike category saw the KTM works team rider, Australian Toby Price, take his first Dakar victory, winning his second title in 2019. Sam Sunderland and Matthias Walkner won the 2017 and 2018 edition also for the team from Mattighofen (18 overall victories as in 2019).

### Saudi Arabia

[edit]

Following the ASO's increasingly deteriorating relationships with South American governments, which culminated in the controversial 2019 disqualification of Bolivian quad rider Juan Carlos Salvatierra,[22] the rally has been held in Saudi Arabia since 2020.

Further editions were planned to also feature other Middle Eastern countries starting from 2021, as the contract with the country was only exclusive for the first year. However, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic prevented such an expansion from happening.[23]

## Vehicles and classes

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The five competitive groups in the Dakar are the motorcycles, quads, the cars class (which ranges from buggies to small SUVs), UTVs, and the trucks class. Many vehicle manufacturers use the rally's harsh environment as both a testing ground and an opportunity to show off their vehicles' durability even though most vehicles are heavily modified from their production specification or purpose-built.

### Motorbikes

[edit]

Joan Barreda racing a Honda motorcycle at the 2016 Dakar Rally

For the 2005 rally regulations introduced a limit of 450cc for twin cylinder motorbikes. Single cylinder motorbikes were still open class with no capacity limit.[24]

As of 2011, the engine displacement limit for all motorbikes competing in the Dakar Rally is 450cc. Engines may be either single or twin cylinder. Riders are divided into two groups, RallyGP and Rally2.[25]

A subcategory is the "Original by Motul" category (formerly named "Malle Moto" due to the only piece of luggage competitors were allowed to take with them was a "malle", the French term for a steamer trunk), which refers to motorbikes and quads competing without any kind assistance. The organization provides assistance for this category with 4 people dedicated to the transportation of the competitors' gear between bivouac sites plus any additional equipment or belongings. This includes: 1 trunk, 1 set of wheels, 1 sleeping tent, 1 travel bag, 1 set of tyres, free use of the generators, compressors and tool-boxes, and easy access to race information.[26] Since these competitors are not allowed to receive any outside support, each rider must service their own vehicle. It is often called the category for the toughest of the tough, and one for the Dakar purists.[27]

KTM has dominated the motorcycle class in recent years, although Honda, Yamaha, Sherco, Hero, Husqvarna, and Gas Gas also compete currently. BMW and Cagiva have also enjoyed success in the past.

### Quads

[edit]

Prior to 2009, Quads were a subdivision of the motorbike category, but they were granted their own separate classification in 2009 and are designated Group 3 in the current regulations. They are divided into two subgroups – Group 3.1, which features two-wheel drive quads with a single cylinder engine with a maximum displacement of 750cc, and Group 3.2, which permits four-wheel drive quads with a maximum engine displacement of 900cc, in either single or twin cylinder layout.[25]

Yamaha went unbeaten in the Quad category as an official class, with their main opposition coming courtesy of Honda and Can-Am.

Quads were dropped from the Dakar in 2025 due to declining manufacturer support.[28]

### Cars

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See also: Group T1 and Group T2

The car class is made up of vehicles weighing less than 3,500 kg (7,716 lb), which are subdivided into several categories. T1 is made up of "Improved Cross-Country Vehicles", subdivided according to engine type (petrol or diesel) and drive type (two-wheel or four-wheel drive), while T2 is made up of "Cross-Country Series Production Vehicles", which are subdivided into petrol and diesel categories. There is also an "Open" category catering for vehicles conforming to SCORE International regulations.[29]

Mini have been the most successful marque in the car category in recent years, thanks to the efforts of the non-factory X-raid team, with limited involvement currently coming from Toyota, Ford and Haval. Several constructors also produce bespoke buggies for the event, most notably SMG and Damen Jefferies.

Mitsubishi is historically the most successful manufacturer in the car class, with Volkswagen, Citroën, Peugeot and Porsche having all tasted success in the past with factory teams. Jean-Louis Schlesser has also won the event twice with his Renault-supported buggies. Factory teams from Nissan and SEAT have also won stages, as has BMW, courtesy of the X-raid team.

### Trucks

[edit]

See also: Group T5

Vladimir Chagin, the "Tsar of Dakar", is the most successful truck driver

The Truck class, first run as a separate category in 1980, is made up of vehicles weighing more than 3,500 kg (7,716 lb). Trucks participating in the competition are subdivided into "Series Production" trucks (T4.1) and "Modified" trucks (T4.2), whilst Group T4.3 (formerly known as T5) trucks are rally support trucks – meaning they travel from bivouac to bivouac to support the competition vehicles.[29] These were introduced to the rally in 1998. The truck event was not run in 1989 after it was decided the vehicles, by this stage with twin engines generating in excess of 1000 horsepower, were too dangerous following the death of a DAF crew member in an accident during the 1988 rally.[9]

Kamaz has dominated the truck category since the turn of the century, although it has come under increasing pressure from rivals such as Iveco, MAN, Renault, and Tatra, which enjoyed much success in the 1990s. Hino, DAF, Perlini, and Mercedes-Benz have also been among the winners in the past.

### UTVs

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See also: Group T3 and Group T4

The utility task vehicle (UTV) category was introduced in 2017. Before this, UTVs ran under the car category as the T3 class. The class rapidly gained in popularity, and in 2021 the class was further subdivided into separate T3 light prototypes category, and T4 SSVs, which are based on production vehicles.[30]

### Classics

[edit]

A new Dakar Classic class was introduced in 2021 for cars and trucks manufactured before 2000, or new vehicles built to original pre-2000 specification. For the fifth edition in 2025, rules allowed another five years where 2005 became the latest specification year for the class, effectively making the rule 20 years for classification as classics.[31]

These vehicles share the same bivouac and the organization but run in a parallel, yet different route, suitable for historic vehicles. The scoreboard is not based on fastest time, but rather on regularity rally point scoring system. The class feature a reduced entry fee, yet the same rules and fees apply for the assistance.[32]

## List of winners

[edit]

### Cars, bikes and trucks

[edit]

Year  | Route  | Cars  | Bikes  | Trucks

|
|
|
|

Driver Co-driver  | Make & model  | Rider  | Make & model  | Driver Co-driver Technician  | Make & model
2025 | Bisha-Shubaytah |  Yazeed Al-Rajhi Timo Gottschalk | Toyota Hilux Overdrive |  Daniel Sanders | KTM 450 Rally Factory |  Martin Macík František Tomášek  David Švanda  | Iveco Powerstar
2024 | al-Ula–Yanbu |  Carlos Sainz Lucas Cruz | Audi RS Q e-tron |  Ricky Brabec | Honda CRF 450 Rally |  Martin Macík František Tomášek  David Švanda  | Iveco PowerStar
2023 | near Yanbu–Dammam |  Nasser Al-Attiyah Mathieu Baumel | Toyota GR DKR Hilux |  Kevin Benavides | KTM 450 Rally Factory Replica  |  Janus van Kasteren Darek Rodewald Marcel Snijders | Iveco PowerStar
2022 | Ḥaʼil–Jeddah |  Nasser Al-Attiyah Mathieu Baumel | Toyota GR DKR Hilux |  Sam Sunderland | Gas Gas 450 Rally |  Dmitry Sotnikov Ruslan Amkhmadeev Ilgiz Akhmetzianov | Kamaz K5 435091
2021 | Jeddah–Ḥaʼil |  Stéphane Peterhansel Édouard Boulanger | Mini John Cooper Works Buggy |  Kevin Benavides | Honda CRF 450 Rally |  Dmitry Sotnikov Ruslan Amkhmadeev Ilgiz Akhmetzianov | Kamaz 43509
2020 | Jeddah–Riyadh–Qiddiya |  Carlos Sainz Lucas Cruz | Mini John Cooper Works Buggy |  Ricky Brabec | Honda CRF 450 Rally |  Andrey Karginov Andrey Mokeev Igor Leonov | Kamaz 43509
2019 | Lima–Lima  |  Nasser Al-Attiyah Mathieu Baumel | Toyota Hilux Dakar |  Toby Price | KTM 450 Rally |  Eduard Nikolaev Evgeny Yakovlev Vladimir Rybakov | Kamaz 43509
2018 | Lima–La Paz–Córdoba |  Carlos Sainz Lucas Cruz | Peugeot 3008 DKR Maxi |  Matthias Walkner | KTM 450 Rally |  Eduard Nikolaev Evgeny Yakovlev Vladimir Rybakov | Kamaz 4326-9 [ru]
2017 | Asunción–La Paz–Buenos Aires |  Stéphane Peterhansel Jean-Paul Cottret | Peugeot 3008 DKR |  Sam Sunderland | KTM 450 Rally |  Eduard Nikolaev Evgeny Yakovlev Vladimir Rybakov | Kamaz 4326-9 [ru]
2016 | Buenos Aires–Salta-Rosario |  Stéphane Peterhansel Jean-Paul Cottret | Peugeot 2008 DKR |  Toby Price | KTM 450 Rally |  Gerard de Rooy Moi Torrallardona Darek Rodewald | Iveco PowerStar
2015 | Buenos Aires–Iquique-Buenos Aires  |  Nasser Al-Attiyah Mathieu Baumel | Mini All 4 Racing |  Marc Coma | KTM 450 Rally |  Ayrat Mardeev Aydar Belyaev Dmitriy Svistunov | Kamaz 4326-9 [ru]
2014 | Rosario-Salta–Valparaíso |  Nani Roma Michel Périn | Mini All 4 Racing |  Marc Coma | KTM 450 Rally |  Andrey Karginov Andrey Mokeev Igor Devyatkin | Kamaz 4326-9 [ru]
2013 | Lima–Tucumán–Santiago |  Stéphane Peterhansel Jean-Paul Cottret | Mini All 4 Racing |  Cyril Despres | KTM 450 Rally |  Eduard Nikolaev Sergey Savostin Vladimir Rybakov | Kamaz 4326-9 [ru]
2012 | Mar del Plata–Arica–Lima |  Stéphane Peterhansel Jean-Paul Cottret | Mini All 4 Racing |  Cyril Despres | KTM 450 Rally |  Gerard de Rooy Tom Colsoul [fr] Darek Rodewald | Iveco PowerStar
2011 | Buenos Aires–Arica–Buenos Aires  |  Nasser Al-Attiyah Timo Gottschalk | Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 |  Marc Coma | KTM 450 Rally |  Vladimir Chagin Sergey Savostin Ildar Shaysultanov | Kamaz 4326-9 [ru]
2010 | Buenos Aires–Antofagasta–Buenos Aires  |  Carlos Sainz Lucas Cruz | Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 |  Cyril Despres | KTM 690 Rally |  Vladimir Chagin Sergey Savostin Eduard Nikolaev | Kamaz 4326-9 [ru]
2009 | Buenos Aires–Valparaiso–Buenos Aires  |  Giniel de Villiers Dirk von Zitzewitz | Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 |  Marc Coma | KTM 690 Rally |  Firdaus Kabirov Aydar Belyaev Andrey Mokeev | Kamaz 4326-9 [ru]
2008 | Lisbon–Dakar | Cancelled[18]
2007 | Lisbon–Dakar |  Stéphane Peterhansel Jean-Paul Cottret | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Cyril Despres | KTM 690 Rally |  Hans Stacey Charly Gotlib Bernard der Kinderen | MAN TGA
2006 | Lisbon–Dakar  |  Luc Alphand Gilles Picard [fr] | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Marc Coma | KTM LC4 660R |  Vladimir Chagin Semen Yakubov Sergey Savostin | Kamaz 4911 [ru]
2005 | Barcelona–Dakar  |  Stéphane Peterhansel Jean-Paul Cottret | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Cyril Despres | KTM LC4 660R |  Firdaus Kabirov Aydar Belyaev Andrey Mokeev | Kamaz 4911 [ru]
2004 | Clermont-Ferrand–Dakar  |  Stéphane Peterhansel Jean-Paul Cottret | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Nani Roma | KTM LC4 660R |  Vladimir Chagin Semen Yakubov Sergey Savostin | Kamaz 4911 [ru]
2003 | Marseille–Sharm el Sheikh |  Hiroshi Masuoka Andreas Schulz | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Richard Sainct | KTM LC4 660R |  Vladimir Chagin Semen Yakubov Sergey Savostin | Kamaz 4911 [ru]
2002 | Arras–Madrid–Dakar  |  Hiroshi Masuoka Pascal Maimon | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Fabrizio Meoni | KTM LC8 950R |  Vladimir Chagin Semen Yakubov Sergey Savostin | Kamaz 49256 [ru]
2001 | Paris–Dakar  |  Jutta Kleinschmidt Andreas Schulz | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Fabrizio Meoni | KTM LC4 660R |  Karel Loprais Josef Kalina Petr Hamerla | Tatra 815
2000 | Dakar–Cairo |  Jean-Louis Schlesser Henri Magne [fr] | Buggy Schlesser \- Renault |  Richard Sainct | BMW F650RR |  Vladimir Chagin Semen Yakubov Sergey Savostin | Kamaz 49252 [ru]
1999 | Granada–Dakar  |  Jean-Louis Schlesser Philippe Monnet | Buggy Schlesser \- Renault |  Richard Sainct | BMW F650RR |  Karel Loprais Radomir Stachura Josef Kalina | Tatra 815
1998 | Paris–Granada–Dakar  |  Jean-Pierre Fontenay [fr] Gilles Picard [fr] | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Yamaha XTR850R |  Karel Loprais Radomir Stachura Jan Cermak | Tatra 815
1997 | Dakar–Agades–Dakar  |  Kenjiro Shinozuka Henri Magne [fr] | Mitsubishi Pajero Type 2 |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Yamaha XTR850R |  Peter Reif [fr] Johann Deinhofer | Hino Ranger
1996 | Granada–Dakar  |  Pierre Lartigue Michel Périn | Citroën ZX |  Edi Orioli | Yamaha XTR850R |  Viktor Moskovskikh [fr] Anatoli Kouzmine Nail Bagavetdinov | Kamaz 49252 [ru]
1995 | Granada–Dakar  |  Pierre Lartigue Michel Périn | Citroën ZX |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Yamaha XTR850R |  Karel Loprais Radomir Stachura Tomas Tomecek | Tatra 815
1994 | Paris–Dakar–Paris  |  Pierre Lartigue Michel Périn | Citroën ZX |  Edi Orioli | Cagiva Elefant [it] |  Karel Loprais Radomir Stachura Josef Kalina | Tatra 815
1993 | Paris–Dakar  |  Bruno Saby Dominique Serieys | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Yamaha YZE 850T |  Francesco Perlini [fr] Giorgio Albiero Claudio Vinante | Perlini 105F
1992 | Paris–Sirte–Cape Town |  Hubert Auriol Philippe Monnet | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Yamaha YZE 850T |  Francesco Perlini [fr] Giorgio Albiero Claudio Vinante | Perlini 105F
1991 | Paris–Tripoli–Dakar  |  Ari Vatanen Bruno Berglund [fr] | Citroën ZX |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Yamaha YZE 750T  |  Jacques Houssat [fr] Thierry de Saulieu Danilo Bottaro | Perlini 105F
1990 | Paris–Tripoli–Dakar  |  Ari Vatanen Bruno Berglund [fr] | Peugeot 405 T16 |  Edi Orioli | Cagiva Elefant 900 [it]  |  Giorgio Villa [fr] Giorgio Delfino Claudio Vinante | Perlini 105F
1989 | Paris–Tunis–Dakar  |  Ari Vatanen Bruno Berglund [fr] | Peugeot 405 T16 |  Gilles Lalay | Honda NXR800V  | Not held
1988 | Paris–Alger–Dakar  |  Juha Kankkunen Juha Piironen [fr] | Peugeot 205 T16 |  Edi Orioli | Honda NXR800V  |  Karel Loprais Radomir Stachura Tomas Muck | Tatra 815
1987 | Paris-Alger–Dakar  |  Ari Vatanen Bernard Giroux [fr] | Peugeot 205 T16 |  Cyril Neveu | Honda NXR750V  |  Jan de Rooy (rally driver) [Jan de Rooy] Yvo Geusens Theo van de Rijt | DAF TurboTwin II
1986 | Paris-Alger–Dakar  |  René Metge Dominique Lemoyne | Porsche 959 |  Cyril Neveu | Honda NXR750V  |  Giacomo Vismara [it] Giulio Minelli | Mercedes-Benz U 1300 L
1985 | Paris-Alger–Dakar  |  Patrick Zaniroli [fr] Jean da Silva [fr] | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Gaston Rahier | BMW R80G/S |  Karl-Friedrich Capito [fr] Jost Capito Klaus Schweikarl | Mercedes-Benz 1936 AK
1984 | Paris-Alger–Dakar  |  René Metge Dominique Lemoyne [fr] | Porsche 911 (953) |  Gaston Rahier | BMW R80G/S |  Pierre Laleu [fr] Daniel Durce Patrick Venturini | Mercedes-Benz 1936 AK
1983 | Paris-Alger–Dakar  |  Jacky Ickx Claude Brasseur | Mercedes 280 GE |  Hubert Auriol | BMW R80G/S |  Georges Groine [fr] Thierry de Saulieu Bernard Malferiol | Mercedes-Benz 1936 AK
1982 | Paris-Alger–Dakar  |  Claude Marreau [fr] Bernard Marreau [fr] | Renault 20 Turbo 4X4 |  Cyril Neveu | Honda XR550  |  Georges Groine [fr] Thierry de Saulieu Bernard Malferiol | Mercedes-Benz U 1700 L
1981 | Paris–Dakar  |  René Metge Bernard Giroux [fr] | Range Rover |  Hubert Auriol | BMW R80G/S |  Adrien Villette [fr] Henri Gabrelle Alain Voillereau | ALM/ACMAT
1980 | Paris–Dakar  |  Freddy Kottulinsky Gerd Löffelmann | Volkswagen Iltis |  Cyril Neveu | Yamaha XT500 |  Miloud Ataouat [fr] Hadj Daou Boukrif Mahiedine Kaloua | Sonacome M210
1979 | Paris–Dakar  |  Alain Génestier Joseph Terbiaut Jean Lemordant | Range Rover |  Cyril Neveu | Yamaha XT500  |  Jean-François Dunac Jean-Pierre Chapel François Beau | Pinzgauer

### Quads, SSVs and Light Prototypes

[edit]

Year  | Route  | Quads  | SSVs (UTVs until 2022)  | Light Prototypes (T3)

|
|
|
|

Rider  | Make & model  | Driver Co-driver  | Make & model  | DriverCo-driver  | Make & model
2025 | Bisha–Shubaytah | Not held | N/A  |  Brock Heger M. Eddy  | Polaris RZR Pro R |  Nicolas Cavigliasso Valentina Pertegarini  | Taurus T3 Max
2024 | Al-'Ula–Yanbu |  Manuel Andújar | Yamaha Raptor 700 |  Xavier de Soultrait Martin Bonnet  | Polaris RZR Pro R |  Cristina Gutiérrez Pablo Moreno Huete  | Taurus T3 Max
2023 | near Yanbu–Dammam |  Alexandre Giroud | Yamaha Raptor 700 |  Eryk Goczał Oriol Mena | Can-Am Maverick X3  |  Austin Jones Gustavo Gugelmin | Can-Am Maverick XRS
2022 | Ḥaʼil–Jeddah |  Alexandre Giroud | Yamaha Raptor 700 |  Austin Jones Gustavo Gugelmin | Can-Am Maverick X3  |  Francisco López Contardo Juan Pablo Latrach Vinagre | Can-Am XRS
2021 | Jeddah–Ḥaʼil |  Manuel Andújar | Yamaha Raptor 700 |  Francisco López Contardo Juan Pablo Latrach Vinagre | Can-Am Maverick X3  |  Josef Macháček Pavel Vyoral | Can-Am
2020 | Jeddah–Riyadh–Qiddiya |  Ignacio Casale | Yamaha Raptor 700 |  Casey Currie Sean Berriman | Can-Am Maverick X3  | Not held
2019 | Lima–Lima  |  Nicolás Cavigliasso | Yamaha Raptor 700 |  Francisco López Contardo Alvaro Quintanilla | Can-Am Maverick X3
2018 | Lima–La Paz–Córdoba |  Ignacio Casale | Yamaha Raptor 700 |  Reinaldo Varela Gustavo Gugelmin | Can-Am Maverick X3
2017 | Asunción–La Paz–Buenos Aires |  Sergey Karyakin | Yamaha Raptor 700 |  Leandro Torres Lourival Roldan | Polaris RZR 1000 XP
2016 | Buenos Aires–Salta-Rosario |  Marcos Patronelli | Yamaha Raptor 700 | Not held
2015 | Buenos Aires–Iquique-Buenos Aires  |  Rafał Sonik | Yamaha Raptor 700
2014 | Rosario-Salta–Valparaíso |  Ignacio Casale | Yamaha Raptor 700
2013 | Lima–Tucumán–Santiago |  Marcos Patronelli | Yamaha Raptor 700
2012 | Mar del Plata–Arica–Lima  |  Alejandro Patronelli | Yamaha Raptor 700
2011 | Buenos Aires–Arica–Buenos Aires  |  Alejandro Patronelli | Yamaha Raptor 700
2010 | Buenos Aires–Antofagasta–Buenos Aires  |  Marcos Patronelli | Yamaha Raptor 700
2009 | Buenos Aires–Valparaiso–Buenos Aires  |  Josef Macháček | Yamaha Raptor 700

Source:[33]

### Dakar Classics

[edit]

Year  | Route  | Classics

|
|

Driver Co-driver  | Make & model
2025 | Bisha–Shubaytah |  Carlos Santaolalla Jan Rosa i Viñas  | Toyota Land Cruiser HDJ80
2024 | Al-'Ula–Yanbu |  Carlos Santaolalla Jan Rosa i Viñas  | Toyota Land Cruiser HDJ80
2023 | near Yanbu–Dammam |  Juan Morera Lidia Ruba | Toyota Land Cruiser HDJ80
2022 | Ḥaʼil–Jeddah |  Serge Mogno Florent Drulhon | Toyota Land Cruiser HDJ80
2021 | Jeddah–Ḥaʼil |  Marc Douton Emilien Etienne | Sunhill Buggy

Source:[33]

## Podium

[edit]

### Cars

[edit]

Year  | 1st  | 2nd  | 3rd

|
|
|

Driver | Car  | Driver | Car  | Driver | Car
1979 |  Alain Génestier | Range Rover V8 |  Claude Marreau | Renault 4 Sinpar |  Cesare Giraudo | Fiat Campagnola
1980 |  Freddy Kottulinsky | Volkswagen Iltis |  Patrick Zaniroli | Volkswagen Iltis |  Claude Marreau | Renault 4 Sinpar
1981 |  René Metge | Range Rover V8 |  Hervé Cotel | Buggy Cotel |  Jean-Claude Briavoine | Lada Niva
1982 |  Claude Marreau | Renault 20 Turbo |  Jean-Claude Briavoine | Lada Niva |  Jean-Pierre Jaussaud | Mercedes 280 GE
1983 |  Jacky Ickx | Mercedes 280 GE |  André Trossat | Lada Niva |  Pierre Lartigue | Range Rover V8
1984 |  René Metge | Porsche 911 |  Patrick Zaniroli | Range Rover V8 |  Andrew Cowan | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
1985 |  Patrick Zaniroli | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Andrew Cowan | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Pierre Fougerouse | Toyota FJ 60
1986 |  René Metge | Porsche 959 |  Jacky Ickx | Porsche 959 |  Pascal Rigal | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
1987 |  Ari Vatanen | Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 |  Patrick Zaniroli | Range Rover V8 |  Kenjiro Shinozuka | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
1988 |  Juha Kankkunen | Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 |  Kenjiro Shinozuka | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Patrick Tambay | Range Rover V8
1989 |  Ari Vatanen | Peugeot 405 Turbo 16 |  Jacky Ickx | Peugeot 405 Turbo 16 |  Patrick Tambay | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
1990 |  Ari Vatanen | Peugeot 405 Turbo 16 |  Björn Waldegård | Peugeot 405 Turbo 16 |  Alain Ambrosino | Peugeot 405 Turbo 16
1991 |  Ari Vatanen | Citroën ZX Rallye-Raid |  Pierre Lartigue | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Jean Pierre Fontenay | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
1992 |  Hubert Auriol | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Erwin Weber | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Kenjiro Shinozuka | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
1993 |  Bruno Saby | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Pierre Lartigue | Citroën ZX Rallye-Raid |  Hubert Auriol | Citroën ZX Rallye-Raid
1994 |  Pierre Lartigue | Citroën ZX Rallye-Raid |  Hubert Auriol | Citroën ZX Rallye-Raid |  Philippe Wambergue | Buggy Bourgo
1995 |  Pierre Lartigue | Citroën ZX Rallye-Raid |  Bruno Saby | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Kenjiro Shinozuka | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
1996 |  Pierre Lartigue | Citroën ZX Rallye-Raid |  Philippe Wambergue | Citroën ZX Rallye-Raid |  Jean Pierre Fontenay | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
1997 |  Kenjiro Shinozuka | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Jean-Pierre Fontenay | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Bruno Saby | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
1998 |  Jean-Pierre Fontenay | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Kenjiro Shinozuka | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Bruno Saby | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
1999 |  Jean-Louis Schlesser | Buggy Schlesser |  Miguel Prieto | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Jutta Kleinschmidt | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
2000 |  Jean-Louis Schlesser | Buggy Schlesser |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Mega Desert |  Jean-Pierre Fontenay | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
2001 |  Jutta Kleinschmidt | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Hiroshi Masuoka | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Jean-Louis Schlesser | Buggy Schlesser
2002 |  Hiroshi Masuoka | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Jutta Kleinschmidt | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Kenjiro Shinozuka | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
2003 |  Hiroshi Masuoka | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Jean-Pierre Fontenay | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
2004 |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Hiroshi Masuoka | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Jean-Louis Schlesser | Buggy Schlesser
2005 |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Luc Alphand | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Jutta Kleinschmidt | Volkswagen Race Touareg 2
2006 |  Luc Alphand | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Giniel de Villiers | Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 |  Nani Roma | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
2007 |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Luc Alphand | Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution |  Jean-Louis Schlesser | Buggy Schlesser
2008 | Cancelled[18]
2009 |  Giniel de Villiers | Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 |  Mark Miller | Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 |  Robby Gordon | Hummer H3
2010 |  Carlos Sainz | Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 |  Nasser Al-Attiyah | Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 |  Mark Miller | Volkswagen Race Touareg 2
2011 |  Nasser Al-Attiyah | Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 |  Giniel de Villiers | Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 |  Carlos Sainz | Volkswagen Race Touareg 3
2012 |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Mini All4 Racing |  Nani Roma | Mini All4 Racing |  Giniel de Villiers | Toyota Hilux Dakar
2013 |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Mini All4 Racing |  Giniel de Villiers | Toyota Hilux Dakar |  Leonid Novitskiy | Mini All4 Racing
2014 |  Nani Roma | Mini All4 Racing |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Mini All4 Racing |  Nasser Al-Attiyah | Mini All4 Racing
2015 |  Nasser Al-Attiyah | Mini All4 Racing |  Giniel de Villiers | Toyota Hilux Dakar |  Krzysztof Hołowczyc | Mini All4 Racing
2016 |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Peugeot 2008 DKR |  Nasser Al-Attiyah | Mini All4 Racing |  Giniel de Villiers | Toyota Hilux Dakar
2017 |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Peugeot 3008 DKR |  Sébastien Loeb | Peugeot 3008 DKR |  Cyril Despres | Peugeot 3008 DKR
2018 |  Carlos Sainz | Peugeot 3008 DKR |  Nasser Al-Attiyah | Toyota Hilux Dakar |  Giniel de Villiers | Toyota Hilux Dakar
2019 |  Nasser Al-Attiyah | Toyota Hilux Dakar |  Nani Roma | Mini All4 Racing |  Sébastien Loeb | Peugeot 3008 DKR
2020 |  Carlos Sainz | Mini John Cooper Works Buggy |  Nasser Al-Attiyah | Toyota Hilux Dakar |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Mini John Cooper Works Buggy
2021 |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Mini John Cooper Works Buggy |  Nasser Al-Attiyah | Toyota Hilux Dakar |  Carlos Sainz | Mini John Cooper Works Buggy
2022 |  Nasser Al-Attiyah | Toyota GR DKR Hilux |  Sébastien Loeb | BRX Hunter T1+ |  Yazeed Al-Rajhi | Toyota Hilux Overdrive
2023 |  Nasser Al-Attiyah | Toyota GR DKR Hilux |  Sébastien Loeb | Prodrive Hunter T1+ |  Lucas Moraes | Toyota Hilux Overdrive
2024 |  Carlos Sainz | Audi RS Q e-tron | Guillaume De Mévius | Toyota Hilux Overdrive |  Sébastien Loeb | Prodrive Hunter T1+
2025 |  Yazeed Al-Rajhi | Toyota Hilux Overdrive |  Henk Lategan | Toyota GR DKR Hilux |  Mattias Ekström | Ford Raptor T1+

### Bikes

[edit]

Year  | 1st  | 2nd  | 3rd

|
|
|

Driver | Bike  | Driver | Bike  | Driver | Bike
1979 |  Cyril Neveu | Yamaha XT 500 |  Gilles Comte | Yamaha XT 500 |  Philippe Vassard | Honda XL 250
1980 |  Cyril Neveu | Yamaha XT 500 |  Michel Merel | Yamaha XT 500 |  Jean-Noël Pineau | Yamaha XT 500
1981 |  Hubert Auriol | BMW R80 G/S |  Serge Bacou | Yamaha XT 500 |  Michel Merel | Yamaha XT 500
1982 |  Cyril Neveu | Honda XR 550 |  Philippe Vassard | Honda XR 550 |  Grégoire Verhaeghe | Barigo 500
1983 |  Hubert Auriol | BMW R80 G/S |  Patrick Drobecq | Honda XR 600 |  Marc Joineau | Suzuki DR 500
1984 |  Gaston Rahier | BMW R80 G/S |  Hubert Auriol | BMW R80 G/S |  Philippe Vassard | Honda XLR 600
1985 |  Gaston Rahier | BMW R80 G/S |  Jean-Claude Olivier | Yamaha 660 Proto |  Franco Picco | Yamaha 600 XT
1986 |  Cyril Neveu | Honda NXR 780 |  Gilles Lalay | Honda NXR 780 |  Andrea Balestrieri | Honda XL 600
1987 |  Cyril Neveu | Honda NXR 750 |  Edi Orioli | Honda XL 600 |  Gaston Rahier | BMW R80 GS
1988 |  Edi Orioli | Honda NXR 800V |  Franco Picco | Yamaha YZE 750 |  Gilles Lalay | Honda NXR 750
1989 |  Gilles Lalay | Honda NXR 800V |  Franco Picco | Yamaha YZE 750 |  Marc Morales | Honda NXR 750
1990 |  Edi Orioli | Cagiva Elefant 900 |  Carles Mas | Yamaha YZE 750 |  Alessandro De Petri | Cagiva Elefant 900
1991 |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Yamaha YZE 750T |  Gilles Lalay | Yamaha YZE 750T |  Thierry Magnaldi | Yamaha YZE 750T
1992 |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Yamaha YZE 850T |  Danny LaPorte | Cagiva Elefant 900 |  Jordi Arcarons | Cagiva Elefant 900
1993 |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Yamaha YZE 850T |  Thierry Charbonnier | Yamaha YZE 850T |  Jordi Arcarons | Yamaha YZE 850T
1994 |  Edi Orioli | Cagiva Elefant 900 |  Jordi Arcarons | Cagiva Elefant 900 |  Fabrizio Meoni | Honda EXP-2
1995 |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Yamaha YZE 850T |  Jordi Arcarons | Cagiva Elefant 900 |  Edi Orioli | Cagiva Elefant 900
1996 |  Edi Orioli | Yamaha YZE 850T |  Jordi Arcarons | KTM LC4 |  Carlos Sotelo | KTM LC4
1997 |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Yamaha YZE 850T |  Oscar Gallardo | Cagiva Elefant 900 |  David Castera | Yamaha YZE 850T
1998 |  Stéphane Peterhansel | Yamaha YZE 850T |  Fabrizio Meoni | KTM LC4 |  Andrew Haydon | KTM LC4
1999 |  Richard Sainct | BMW F650 RR |  Thierry Magnaldi | KTM LC4 |  Alfie Cox | KTM LC4
2000 |  Richard Sainct | BMW F650 RR |  Oscar Gallardo | BMW F650 RR |  Jimmy Lewis | BMW R900 GS
2001 |  Fabrizio Meoni | KTM LC4 660R |  Jordi Arcarons | KTM LC4 660R |  Carlo de Gavardo | KTM LC4 660R
2002 |  Fabrizio Meoni | KTM LC8 950R |  Alfie Cox | KTM LC4 660R |  Richard Sainct | KTM LC4 660R
2003 |  Richard Sainct | KTM LC4 660R |  Cyril Despres | KTM LC4 660R |  Fabrizio Meoni | KTM LC8 950R
2004 |  Nani Roma | KTM LC4 660R |  Richard Sainct | KTM LC4 660R |  Cyril Despres | KTM LC4 660R
2005 |  Cyril Despres | KTM LC4 660R |  Marc Coma | KTM LC4 660R |  Alfie Cox | KTM LC4 660R
2006 |  Marc Coma | KTM LC4 660R |  Cyril Despres | KTM LC4 660R |  Giovanni Sala | KTM LC4 660R
2007 |  Cyril Despres | KTM 690 Rally |  David Casteu | KTM 690 Rally |  Chris Blais | KTM 660 Rally
2008 | Cancelled[18]
2009 |  Marc Coma | KTM 690 Rally |  Cyril Despres | KTM 690 Rally |  David Frétigné | Yamaha WR 450
2010 |  Cyril Despres | KTM 690 Rally |  Pål Anders Ullevålseter | KTM 690 Rally |  Francisco López | Aprilia RXV 450
2011 |  Marc Coma | KTM 450 Rally |  Cyril Despres | KTM 450 Rally |  Hélder Rodrigues | Yamaha WR 450F
2012 |  Cyril Despres | KTM 450 Rally |  Marc Coma | KTM 450 Rally |  Hélder Rodrigues | Yamaha WR 450F
2013 |  Cyril Despres | KTM 450 Rally |  Ruben Faria | KTM 450 Rally |  Francisco López | KTM 450 Rally
2014 |  Marc Coma | KTM 450 Rally |  Jordi Viladoms | KTM 450 Rally |  Olivier Pain | Yamaha WR 450F
2015 |  Marc Coma | KTM 450 Rally |  Paulo Gonçalves | Honda CRF 450 |  Toby Price | KTM 450 Rally
2016 |  Toby Price | KTM 450 Rally |  Štefan Svitko | KTM 450 Rally |  Pablo Quintanilla | Husqvarna FR 450
2017 |  Sam Sunderland | KTM 450 Rally |  Matthias Walkner | KTM 450 Rally |  Gerard Farrés | KTM 450 Rally
2018 |  Matthias Walkner | KTM 450 Rally |  Kevin Benavides | Honda CRF 450 |  Toby Price | KTM 450 Rally
2019 |  Toby Price | KTM 450 Rally |  Matthias Walkner | KTM 450 Rally |  Sam Sunderland | KTM 450 Rally
2020 |  Ricky Brabec | Honda CRF 450 Rally |  Pablo Quintanilla | Husqvarna FR 450 |  Toby Price | KTM 450 Rally
2021 |  Kevin Benavides | Honda CRF 450 Rally |  Ricky Brabec | Honda CRF 450 Rally |  Sam Sunderland | KTM 450 Rally
2022 |  Sam Sunderland | Gas Gas 450 Rally |  Pablo Quintanilla | Honda CRF450 Rally |  Matthias Walkner | KTM 450 Rally
2023 |  Kevin Benavides | KTM 450 Rally |  Toby Price | KTM 450 Rally |  Skyler Howes | Husqvarna 450 Rally
2024 |  Ricky Brabec | Honda CRF 450 Rally |  Ross Branch | Hero 450 Rally |  Adrien Van Beveren | Honda CRF 450 Rally
2025 |  Daniel Sanders | KTM 450 Rally |  Tosha Schareina | Honda CRF 450 Rally |  Adrien Van Beveren | Honda CRF 450 Rally

### Trucks

[edit]

Year  | 1st  | 2nd  | 3rd

|
|
|

Crew | Truck  | Crew | Truck  | Crew | Truck
1979 |  Jean-François Dunac
Jean-Pierre Chapel
François Beau | Pinzgauer |  Daniel Petit
Françis Mare | UNIC |  Alain Mekki
Jean Neault | UNIC
1980 |  Miloud Ataouat
Hadj Daou Boukrif
Mahiedine Kaloua | Sonacome |  Bernard Heu
Daniel Delobel
Gilbert Versino | MAN |  Mokran Bouzid
Daid
Mekhelef | Sonacome
1981 |  Adrien Villette
Henri Gabrelle
Alain Voillereau | ALM-ACMAT |  Jacques Briy
Jean Salou
Gustave Peu | Ford |  Georges Groine
Thierry de Saulieu
Bernard Malferiol | Mercedes-Benz
1982 |  Georges Groine
Thierry de Saulieu
Bernard Malferiol | Mercedes-Benz |  Pierre Laleu
Bernard Langlois | Mercedes-Benz |  Jan de Rooy (rally driver)
Gérard Straetmans | DAF
1983 |  Georges Groine
Thierry de Saulieu
Bernard Malferiol | Mercedes-Benz |  Hasse Henriksson
Sture Bernhardsson
John Granäng | Volvo C303 |  Jan de Rooy (rally driver)
Joop Roggeband
Yvo Geusens | DAF
1984 |  Pierre Laleu
Daniel Durce
Patrick Venturini | Mercedes-Benz |  Paolo Bonera
Valerio Grassi
Paolo Travaglia | Mercedes-Benz |  Henri Gabrelle
Alain Voillereau
Adolf Dirl | MAN
1985 |  Karl Friedrich Capito
Jost Capito
Klaus Schweikarl | Mercedes-Benz |  Jan de Rooy (rally driver)
Thierry de Saulieu
Martinus Ketelaars | DAF |  Karl Wilhelm Strohmann
Volker Capito
Heinz Schnepf | Mercedes-Benz
1986 |  Giacomo Vismara
Giulio Minelli | Mercedes-Benz |  Hans Heyer
Winkler | MAN |  Salvador Cañellas
Ferran | Pegaso
1987 |  Jan de Rooy (rally driver)
Yvo Geusens
Theo van de Rijt | DAF |  Karel Loprais
Radomír Stachura
Jaroslav Krpec | Tatra |  Jiří Moskal
Jaroslav Joklík
Pavel Záleský | LIAZ
1988 |  Karel Loprais
Radomír Stachura
Tomáš Mück | Tatra |  Jiří Moskal
František Vojtíšek
Pavel Záleský | LIAZ |  Lutz Bernau
Bartman
Kluge | Tatra
1989 | Category not held
1990 |  Giorgio Villa
Giorgio Delfino
Claudio Vinante | Perlini |  Jacques Houssat
Thierry De Saulieu
Danilo Bottaro | Perlini |  Zdeněk Kahánek
Jaroslav Krpec
Havlík | Tatra
1991 |  Jacques Houssat
Thierry de Saulieu
Danilo Bottaro | Perlini |  Vladimir Goltsov
Firdaus Kabirov
Valery Koblukov | Kamaz |  Joel Tammeka
Juhan Anupõld
Enno Piirsalu | Kamaz
1992 |  Francesco Perlini
Giorgio Albiero
Claudio Vinante | Perlini |  Jacques Houssat
Thierry de Saulieu
Danilo Bottaro | Perlini |  Karel Loprais
Josef Kalina
Radomír Stachura | Tatra
1993 |  Francesco Perlini
Giorgio Albiero
Claudio Vinante | Perlini |  Jacques Houssat
Sarlieve
Diamante | Perlini |  Gilbert Versino
Gimbre
Versino | Mercedes-Benz
1994 |  Karel Loprais
Radomír Stachura
Josef Kalina | Tatra |  Yoshimasa Sugawara
Shibata | Hino |  Jacques Marvy
Pons
Dujon | Perlini
1995 |  Karel Loprais
Radomír Stachura
Josef Kalina | Tatra |  Yoshimasa Sugawara
Shibata | Hino |  Vlastimil Buchtyár
Milan Kořený
Jaroslav Krpec | Tatra
1996 |  Viktor Moskovskikh
Anatoly Kuzmin
Nail Bagavetdinov | Kamaz |  Karel Loprais
Tomáš Tomeček
Radomír Stachura | Tatra |  Ladislav Fajtl
Jiří Janoušek
František Wurst | Tatra
1997 |  Peter Reif
Johann Deinhofer Roth | Hino |  Yoshimasa Sugawara
Naoko Matsumoto
Katsumi Hamura | Hino |  Joseph Petit
Jean-Christophe Wagner
Takeshi Hashimoto | Hino
1998 |  Karel Loprais
Radomír Stachura
Jan Čermák | Tatra |  Yoshimasa Sugawara
Naoko Matsumoto
Takashi Ushioda | Hino |  Milan Kořený
Jaroslav Lamač
Martin Kahánek | Tatra
1999 |  Karel Loprais
Radomír Stachura
Josef Kalina | Tatra |  Viktor Moskovskikh
Vladimir Chagin
Semen Yakubov | Kamaz |  André de Azevedo
Tomáš Tomeček
Leilane Neubarth | Tatra
2000 |  Vladimir Chagin
Semen Yakubov
Sergey Savostin | Kamaz |  Karel Loprais
Radomír Stachura
Petr Gilar | Tatra |  Firdaus Kabirov
Aydar Belyaev
Vladimir Goloub | Kamaz
2001 |  Karel Loprais
Josef Kalina
Petr Hamerla | Tatra |  Yoshimasa Sugawara
Seiichi Suzuki
Teruhito Sugawara | Hino |  Peter Reif
Gunther Pichlbauer
Holger Hermann Roth | MAN
2002 |  Vladimir Chagin
Semen Yakubov
Sergey Savostin | Kamaz |  Karel Loprais
Josef Kalina
Petr Hamerla | Tatra |  Yoshimasa Sugawara
Naoko Matsumoto
Seiichi Suzuki | Hino
2003 |  Vladimir Chagin
Semen Yakubov
Sergey Savostin | Kamaz |  André de Azevedo
Tomáš Tomeček
Jaromír Martinec | Tatra |  Firdaus Kabirov
Aydar Belyaev
Ilgizar Mardeev | Kamaz
2004 |  Vladimir Chagin
Semen Yakubov
Sergey Savostin | Kamaz |  Firdaus Kabirov
Aydar Belyaev
Dzhamil Kamalov | Kamaz |  Gerard de Rooy
Tom Colsoul
Arno Slaats | DAF
2005 |  Firdaus Kabirov
Aydar Belyaev
Andrey Mokeev | Kamaz |  Yoshimasa Sugawara
Katsumi Hamura | Hino |  Giacomo Vismara
Mario Cambiaghi
Claudio Bellina | Mercedes-Benz
2006 |  Vladimir Chagin
Semen Yakubov
Sergey Savostin | Kamaz |  Hans Stacey
Charly Gotlib
Bernard der Kinderen | MAN |  Firdaus Kabirov
Aydar Belyaev
Andrey Mokeev | Kamaz
2007 |  Hans Stacey
Charly Gotlib
Bernard der Kinderen | MAN |  Ilgizar Mardeev
Aydar Belyaev
Eduard Nikolaev | Kamaz |  Aleš Loprais
Petr Gilar | Tatra
2008 | Cancelled[18]
2009 |  Firdaus Kabirov
Aydar Belyaev
Andrey Mokeev | Kamaz |  Vladimir Chagin
Sergey Savostin
Eduard Nikolaev | Kamaz |  Gerard de Rooy
Tom Colsoul
Marcel van Melis | GINAF
2010 |  Vladimir Chagin
Sergey Savostin
Eduard Nikolaev | Kamaz |  Firdaus Kabirov
Aydar Belyaev
Andrey Mokeev | Kamaz |  Marcel van Vliet
Herman Vaanholt
Gerard van Veenendaal | GINAF
2011 |  Vladimir Chagin
Sergey Savostin
Ildar Shaysultanov | Kamaz |  Firdaus Kabirov
Aydar Belyaev
Andrey Mokeev | Kamaz |  Eduard Nikolaev
Viatcheslav Mizyukaev
Vladimir Rybakov | Kamaz
2012 |  Gerard de Rooy
Tom Colsoul
Dariusz Rodewald | Iveco |  Hans Stacey
Hans van Goor
Bernard der Kinderen | Iveco |  Artur Ardavichus
Alexey Kuzmich
Nurlan Turlubaev | Kamaz
2013 |  Eduard Nikolaev
Sergey Savostin
Vladimir Rybakov | Kamaz |  Airat Mardeev
Aydar Belyaev
Anton Mirniy | Kamaz |  Andrey Karginov
Andrey Mokeev
Igor Devyatkin | Kamaz
2014 |  Andrey Karginov
Andrey Mokeev
Igor Devyatkin | Kamaz |  Gerard de Rooy
Tom Colsoul
Darek Rodewald | Iveco |  Eduard Nikolaev
Sergey Savostin
Vladimir Rybakov | Kamaz
2015 |  Airat Mardeev
Aydar Belyaev
Dmitriy Svistunov | Kamaz |  Eduard Nikolaev
Evgeny Yakovlev
Vladimir Rybakov | Kamaz |  Andrey Karginov
Andrey Mokeev
Igor Leonov | Kamaz
2016 |  Gerard de Rooy
Moisès Torrallardona
Darek Rodewald | Iveco |  Airat Mardeev
Aydar Belyaev
Dmitriy Svistunov | Kamaz |  Federico Villagra
Jorge Pérez Companc
Andrés Memi | Iveco
2017 |  Eduard Nikolaev
Evgeny Yakovlev
Vladimir Rybakov | Kamaz |  Dmitry Sotnikov
Ruslan Akhmadeev
Igor Leonov | Kamaz |  Gerard de Rooy
Moisès Torrallardona
Darek Rodewald | Iveco
2018 |  Eduard Nikolaev
Evgeny Yakovlev
Vladimir Rybakov | Kamaz |  Siarhei Viazovich
Pavel Haranin
Andrei Zhyhulin | MAZ |  Airat Mardeev
Aydar Belyaev
Dmitriy Svistunov | Kamaz
2019 |  Eduard Nikolaev
Evgeny Yakovlev
Vladimir Rybakov | Kamaz |  Dmitry Sotnikov
Dmitry Nikitin
Ilnur Mustafin | Kamaz |  Gerard de Rooy
Moisès Torrallardona
Darek Rodewald | Iveco
2020 |  Andrey Karginov
Andrey Mokeev
Igor Leonov | Kamaz |  Anton Shibalov
Dmitry Nikitin
Ivan Tatarinov | Kamaz |  Siarhei Viazovich
Pavel Haranin
Anton Zaparoshchanka | MAZ
2021 |  Dmitry Sotnikov
Ruslan Akhamadeev
Ilgiz Akhmetzianov | Kamaz |  Anton Shibalov
Dmitri Nikitin
Ivan Tatarinov | Kamaz |  Airat Mardeev
Dmitry Svistunov
Akhmet Galiautdinov | Kamaz
2022 |  Dmitry Sotnikov
Ruslan Akhamadeev
Ilgiz Akhmetzianov | Kamaz |  Eduard Nikolaev
Evgeny Yakovlev
Vladimir Rybakov | Kamaz |  Anton Shibalov
Dmitri Nikitin
Ivan Tatarinov | Kamaz
2023 |  Janus van Kasteren
Darek Rodewald
Marcel Snijders | Iveco |  Martin Macík
František Tomášek
David Švanda | Iveco |  Martin van den Brink
Erik Kofman
Rijk Mouw | Iveco
2024 |  Martin Macík
František Tomášek
David Švanda | Iveco |  Aleš Loprais
Jaroslav Valtr Jr
Jiří Stross  | Praga |  Mitchel van den Brink
Jarno van de Pol
Moises Torrallardona  | Iveco
2025 |  Martin Macík
František Tomášek
David Švanda | Iveco |  Mitchel van den Brink
Moises Torrallardona

Jarno van de Pol

| Iveco |  Aleš Loprais
David Kripal
Darek Rodewald  | Iveco

### Quads

[edit]

Year  | 1st  | 2nd  | 3rd

|
|
|

Rider | Quad  | Rider | Quad  | Rider | Quad
2009 |  Josef Macháček | Yamaha |  Marcos Patronelli | Can-Am |  Rafał Sonik | Yamaha
2010 |  Marcos Patronelli | Yamaha |  Alejandro Patronelli | Yamaha |  Juan Manuel González | Yamaha
2011 |  Alejandro Patronelli | Yamaha |  Sebastián Halpern | Yamaha |  Łukasz Łaskawiec | Yamaha
2012 |  Alejandro Patronelli | Yamaha |  Marcos Patronelli | Yamaha |  Tomas Maffei | Yamaha
2013 |  Marcos Patronelli | Yamaha |  Ignacio Casale | Yamaha |  Rafał Sonik | Yamaha
2014 |  Ignacio Casale | Yamaha |  Rafał Sonik | Yamaha |  Sebastian Husseini | Honda
2015 |  Rafał Sonik | Yamaha |  Jeremías González | Yamaha |  Walter Nosiglia | Honda
2016 |  Marcos Patronelli | Yamaha |  Alejandro Patronelli | Yamaha |  Brian Baragwanath | Yamaha
2017 |  Sergey Karyakin | Yamaha |  Ignacio Casale | Yamaha |  Pablo Copetti | Yamaha
2018 |  Ignacio Casale | Yamaha |  Nicolás Cavigliasso | Yamaha |  Jeremías González | Yamaha
2019 |  Nicolás Cavigliasso | Yamaha |  Jeremías González | Yamaha |  Gustavo Gallego | Yamaha
2020 |  Ignacio Casale | Yamaha |  Simon Vitse | Yamaha |  Rafał Sonik | Yamaha
2021 |  Manuel Andújar | Yamaha |  Giovanni Enrico | Yamaha |  Pablo Copetti | Yamaha
2022 |  Alexandre Giroud | Yamaha |  Francisco Moreno | Yamaha |  Kamil Wiśniewski | Yamaha
2023 |  Alexandre Giroud | Yamaha |  Francisco Moreno Flores | Yamaha |  Pablo Copetti | Yamaha
2024 |  Manuel Andújar | Yamaha |  Alexandre Giroud | Yamaha |  Juraj Varga  | Yamaha

### SSVs (UTVs until 2022)

[edit]

Year  | 1st  | 2nd  | 3rd

|
|
|

Crew | UTV  | Crew | UTV  | Crew | UTV
2017 |  Leandro Torres
Lourival Roldan | Polaris |  Wang Fujiang
Li Wei | Polaris |  Ravil Maganov
Kirill Shubin | Polaris
2018 |  Reinaldo Varela
Gustavo Gugelmin | Can-Am |  Patrice Garrouste
Steven Griener | Polaris |  Claude Fournier [fr]
Szymon Gospodarczyk | Polaris
2019 |  Francisco López Contardo
Alvaro Quintanilla | Can-Am |  Gerard Farrés
Daniel Oliveras | Can-Am |  Reinaldo Varela
Gustavo Gugelmin | Can-Am
2020 |  Casey Currie
Sean Berriman | Can-Am |  Sergey Karyakin
Anton Vlasiuk | Can-Am |  Francisco López Contardo
Juan Pablo Latrach Vinagre | Can-Am
2021 |  Francisco Lopez Contardo
Juan Pablo Latrach Vinagre | Can-Am |  Austin Jones
Gustavo Gugelmin | Can-Am |  Aron Domżała
Maciej Marton | Can-Am
2022 |  Austin Jones
Gustavo Gugelmin | Can-Am |  Gerard Farrés
Diego Ortega Gil | Can-Am |  Rokas Baciuška
Oriol Mena | Can-Am
2023 |  Eryk Goczał
Oriol Mena | Can-Am |  Rokas Baciuška
Oriol Vidal Montijano | Can-Am |  Marek Goczał
Maciej Marton | Can-Am
2024 |  Xavier de Soultrait
Martin Bonnet  | Polaris |  Jérôme de Sadeleer
Michaël Metge  | Can-Am |  Yasir Seaidan
Adrien Metge  | Can-Am
2025 |  Brock Heger
Max Eddy | Polaris |  Francisco López Contardo
Juan Pablo Latrach Vinagre | Can-Am |  Alexandre Pinto
Bernardo Oliveira | Can-Am

### Light Prototypes (Challenger/T3)

[edit]

Year  | 1st  | 2nd  | 3rd

|
|
|

Crew | Make  | Crew | Make  | Crew | Make
2021 |  Josef Macháček
Pavel Vyoral | Can-Am |  Camelia Liparoti
Annett Fischer | Yamaha |  Philippe Pinchedez
Vincent Ferri | Pinch Racing
2022 |  Francisco Lopez Contardo
Juan Pablo Latrach Vinagre | Can-Am |  Sebastian Eriksson
Wouter Rosegaar | Can-Am |  Cristina Gutiérrez
Francois Cazalet | OT3
2023 |  Austin Jones
Gustavo Gugelmin | Can-Am |  Seth Quintero
Dennis Zenz | Can-Am |  Guillaume De Mévius
François Cazalet | OT3
2024 |  Cristina Gutiérrez

Pablo Moreno Huete

| Taurus  |  Mitch Guthrie
Kellon Walch  | Taurus  |  Rokas Baciuška
Oriol Vidal Montijano  | Can-Am
2025 |  Nicolas Cavigliasso

Valentina Pertegarini

| Taurus  |  Gonçalo Guerreiro
Cadu Sachs  | Taurus  |  Pau Navarro
Lisandro Sisterna  | Taurus

### Classics

[edit]

Year  | 1st  | 2nd  | 3rd

|
|
|

Crew | Make  | Crew | Make  | Crew | Make
2021 |  Marc Douton
Emilien Etienne | Sunhill Buggy |  Juan Donatiu
Pere Serrat Puig | Mitsubishi Montero |  Lilian Harichoury
Luc Fertin
Laurent Correia | Renault Trucks
2022 |  Serge Mogno
Florent Drulhon | Toyota Land Cruiser HDJ80 |  Arnaud Euvrard
Adeline Euvrard | Mercedes ML |  Jesus Fuster Pliego
Juan Carlos Ramirez Moure | Mercedes G-320
2023 |  Juan Morera
Lidia Ruba | Toyota Land Cruiser HDJ80 |  Carlos Santaolalla
Aran Sol I Juanola | Toyota Land Cruiser HDJ80 |  Paolo Bedeschi
Daniele Bottallo | Toyota Land Cruiser BJ71
2024 |  Carlos Santaolalla
Aran Sol I Juanola | Toyota Land Cruiser HDJ80 |  Lorenzo Traglio
Rudy Briani  | Nissan Pathfinder |  Paolo Bedeschi
Daniele Bottallo | Toyota Land Cruiser BJ71
2025 |  Carlos Santaolalla
Aran Sol I Juanola | Toyota Land Cruiser HDJ80 |  Lorenzo Traglio
Rudy Briani  | Nissan Terrano Pick-Up |  Karolis Raisys
Ignas Daunoravicius  | Land-Rover Series III

## Records

[edit]

Further information: List of Dakar Rally records

## Television coverage

[edit]

The rally is broadcast on television in more than 190 countries. A live feed of the event and a roundup of each day's race progress is made into a 26-minute programme.[34] This has been commentated on by Toby Moody for ten years, and more recently by Neil Cole.[35]

The rally organizers and their television crews provide 20 edit stations along the route for various countries to produce their own programmes about the rally. There are four TV helicopters, six stage cameras, and three bivouac crews to make over 1,000 hours of TV over the two-week period.[citation needed]

A 2006 television documentary Race to Dakar described the experiences of a team, including the English actor Charley Boorman, in preparation for and entry into the 2006 Dakar Rally.[36]

### Broadcasters

[edit]

List of TV broadcasters as of 2022[37] Region | Country | TV Network

|
|

Western Europe |  France | Franceinfo
France 2 / France 3 / France 4
Spain | La 1
Teledeporte
TV3
Esport3
Netherlands | RTL 4
RTL 7
Belgium | VTM
| RTBF
Austria | ORF Sport +
ServusTV
Italy | Sport Mediaset [it]

it:Sport Mediaset

RAI
Sky Sport 24
Italia 1
Germany | ZDF
Eastern Europe |  Estonia | TV6
Poland | Polsat
TVP1 / TVP2 / TVN
Czech Republic | Nova
Prima
Czech TV
Lithuania | LNK
Slovakia | RTVS
Europe |  Pan-Europe | Eurosport
Middle East |  Middle East | BeIN Sports
Saudi Arabia | SSC sport
Latin America |  Pan-Latin America | ESPN
Americas |  USA | MavTV[38]
Canada | FloSports
Argentina | Canal 12 (Cordoba)
America TV
TPA
C5N
El Trece
Telefe
Brazil | ESPN
Colombia | Caracol TV
Mexico | Fox Sports
Asia and Oceania |  Asia and Oceania | Eurosport Asia
Australia | SBS
New Zealand | Sky Sport
China | Zhibo.tv
Japan | J Sports
India | 1Sports
Africa |  South Africa | SABC
eNCA
Africa | Supersoft
World  |  World  | Red Bull TV
Motor Trend
Motorsport.com
France 24
Canal 24 Horas
Al Jazeera

## Video games

[edit]

Release date  | Title  | Genre  | Platform  | Developer  | Publisher

|
|
|
|
|

1988  | Paris-Dakar Rally Special | Rally | Famicom | ISCO | CBS/Sony Group
1997  | Dakar '97 | Rally | PlayStation (console) | Elcom Co., Ltd. | Virgin Interactive Entertainment (Japan), Inc.
2001  | Paris-Dakar Rally | Rally | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 | Broadsword Interactive | Acclaim Entertainment
2003  | Dakar 2: The World's Ultimate Rally | Rally | PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube | Acclaim Studios Cheltenham | Acclaim Entertainment
2018  | Dakar 18 | Rally | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | Bigmoon Entertainment | Deep Silver
2022  | Dakar Desert Rally[39] | Rally | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | Saber Interactive | Saber Interactive

## Incidents

[edit]

Main article: List of Dakar Rally fatal accidents

In 1982, Mark Thatcher, son of the then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, along with his French co-driver Anny-Charlotte Verney and their mechanic, disappeared for six days. On 9 January, the trio became separated from a convoy of vehicles after they stopped to make repairs to a faulty steering arm. They were declared missing on 12 January. After a large-scale search was instigated, an Algerian military Lockheed L-100 (a version of the C-130 Hercules) search plane spotted their white Peugeot 504 some 50 kilometres (31 mi) off course. Thatcher, Verney, and the mechanic were all unharmed.

The organiser of the rally, Thierry Sabine, was killed when his Ecureuil helicopter ("Squirrel-copter") crashed at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday 14 January 1986, into a dune at Mali during a sudden sand-storm. Also killed onboard was the singer-songwriter Daniel Balavoine, helicopter pilot François-Xavier Bagnoud, journalist Nathalie Odent, and Jean-Paul Lefur who was a radiophonic engineer for French radio broadcaster RTL (formerly Radio Luxembourg).[40]

Six people were killed during the 1988 race, three participants and three local residents. In one incident, Baye Sibi, a 10-year-old Malian girl, was killed by a racer while she crossed a road. A film crew's vehicle killed a mother and daughter in Mauritania on the last day of the race. The race participants killed, in three separate crashes, were a Dutch navigator on the DAF Trucks team, a French privateer, and a French rider. Racers were also blamed for starting a wildfire that caused a panic on a train running between Dakar and Bamako, where three more people were killed.[41]

In 2003, French driver Daniel Nebot both rolled and crashed his Toyota heavily at high speed killing his co-driver Bruno Cauvy.[42][43]

In 2005, Spanish motorcyclist José Manuel Pérez died in a Spanish hospital on Monday 10 January after crashing the week before on the 7th stage. Italian motorcyclist Fabrizio Meoni, a two-time winner of the event, became the second Dakar Rally rider to die in two days, following Pérez on 11 January on stage 11. Meoni was the 11th motorcyclist and the 45th person overall to die in the history of the race. On 13 January a five-year-old Senegalese girl was hit and killed by a service lorry after wandering onto a main road, bringing the total deaths to five.

In 2006, 41-year-old Australian KTM motorcyclist Andy Caldecott, in his third time in the Dakar, died on 9 January as a result of neck injuries sustained in a crash approximately 250 kilometres (160 mi) into stage 9, between Nouakchott and Kiffa, only a few kilometers (miles) from the location where Meoni had his fatal wreck the year before. He won the third stage of the 2006 event between Nador and Er Rachidia only a few days before his death. The death occurred despite efforts by the event organisers to improve competitor safety, including limiting speed, mandatory rest at fuel stops, and reduced fuel tank capacity for the bike classes. On 13 January a 10-year-old boy died while crossing the course after being hit by a car driven by Latvian Māris Saukāns, while on 14 January a 12-year-old boy was killed after being hit by a support lorry.[44]

In 2007, 29-year-old South African motor racer Elmer Symons died of injuries sustained in a crash during the fourth stage of the Rally. Symons crashed with his bike in the desert between Er Rachidia and Ouarzazate, Morocco.[45] Another death occurred on 20 January, the night before the race's finish, when 42-year-old motorcyclist Eric Aubijoux died suddenly. The cause of death was initially believed to be a heart attack,[46] but it was later suggested that Aubijoux had died of internal injuries sustained in a crash earlier that day while competing in the 14th stage of the race.

The 2008 Dakar Rally was cancelled due to security concerns after al-Qaeda's murder of four French tourists on Christmas Eve in December 2007 in Mauritania (a country in which the rally spent eight days), various accusations against the rally calling it "neo-colonialist", and al-Qaeda's accusations against Mauritania calling it a supporter of "crusaders, apostates and infidels". The French-based Amaury Sport Organisation in charge of the 6,000-kilometre (3,700 mi) rally said in a statement that they had been advised by the French government to cancel the race, which had been due to begin on 5 January 2008 from Lisbon. They said direct threats had also been made against the event by al-Qaeda related organisations.[47][48]

Omar Osama bin Laden, the son of Osama bin Laden, attracted news coverage in 2008 by promoting himself as an "ambassador of peace" and proposing a 3,000-mile (4,800 km) horse race across North Africa as a replacement to the Dakar Rally, with sponsors' money going to support child victims of war, saying "I heard the rally was stopped because of al-Qaida. I don't think they are going to stop me."[49]

On 7 January 2009, the body of 49-year-old motorcyclist Pascal Terry from France was found. He had been missing for three days and his body lay on a remote part of the second stage between Santa Rosa de la Pampa and Puerto Madryn.

On 4 January 2010, a woman watching the Dakar Rally was killed when a vehicle taking part in the race veered off the course and hit her during the opening stage.

On 1 January 2012, motorcyclist Jorge Martinez Boero of Argentina died after suffering a cardiac arrest after a fall. He was treated by medical staff within five minutes of the accident, but died on the way to hospital.

On 7 January 2015, motorcycle rider Michal Hernik died in unknown circumstances during Stage 3 of the 2015 rally.[50]

On 12 January 2020, Portuguese motorcycle rider Paulo Gonçalves died after suffering a heart attack due to a crash on the seventh stage.[51]

On 15 January 2021, motorcyclist Pierre Cherpin of France died. The 52-year-old Frenchman fell off his motorcycle on 10 January, and a rescue team in a helicopter found him unconscious in the desert. He was rushed to a hospital in Saudi Arabia where he was treated for his injuries. He sustained serious head injuries and cracked ribs, and one of his lungs also collapsed. Cherpin underwent emergency neurosurgery and was placed in an artificial coma. Doctors were initially optimistic about his recovery path and there were no complications after the surgery. He died during the medical transfer from Jeddah to France.

Overall, 76 people, including 31 competitors, have died in the Dakar Rally.

## Criticism

[edit]

When the race was held in Africa, it was subject to criticism from several sources, generally focusing on the race's impact on the inhabitants of the African countries through which it passed. Some African residents along the race's course in previous years have said they saw limited benefits from the race; that race participants spent little money on the goods and services local residents can offer. The racers produced substantial amounts of dust along the course, and were blamed for hitting and killing livestock, in addition to occasionally injuring or killing people.[52]

After the 1988 race, when three Africans were killed in collisions with vehicles involved in the race, PANA, a Dakar-based news agency, wrote that the deaths were "insignificant for the [race's] organisers". The Vatican City newspaper L'Osservatore Romano called the race a "vulgar display of power and wealth in places where men continue to die from hunger and thirst."[53] During a 2002 protest at the race's start in Arras, France, a Green Party of France statement described the race as "colonialism that needs to be eradicated".[54]

The rally was criticised before 2000 for crossing through the disputed territory of Western Sahara, which has been occupied by Morocco since 1975, without the approval of the Polisario Front independence movement, which considers itself the representative of the indigenous Sahrawi people.[55][56] After the race officials gained formal permission from the Polisario from 2000 onwards this ceased to be an issue.[57]

The environmental impact of the race has been another area of criticism. This criticism of the race is the topic of the song "500 connards sur la ligne de départ" ("500 Arseholes at the Starting Line"), on the 1991 album Marchand de cailloux by French singer Renaud. In 2014, the Dakar rally was criticized for damage done to archaeological sites in Chile.[58]

The move to Saudi Arabia for the 2020 Dakar Rally was under heavy criticism because of the situation of human rights in Saudi Arabia and the position of women in that country.[59]

Despite the criticism from human rights organizations against the choice of host country for the 2020 season, the Dakar Rally was organized in Saudi Arabia for another consecutive year. While it was being denounced as an attempt of sportswashing by Saudi Arabia, the organizers defended the decision.[60]

## See also

[edit]

* Africa Eco Race – rally raid launched in 2009 in response to the Dakar's move to South America
* Budapest-Bamako – Desert Rally
* Mint 400
* Rallye des Pharaons
* Peking to Paris

## Notes

[edit]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Motorcycle competitors race away as Dakar Rally leaves Buenos Aires". Clutch & Chrome. 2009-01-03. Archived from the original on January 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
2. ^ "Dakar in Argentia, Chile and Peru". ASO. 2009-02-24. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
3. ^ "Dakar stays in South America for 2011". Autosport. 2010-03-23.
4. ^ "The Trans-Africa Rallies" (PDF). crankhandleclub.co.za. 2017-12-12. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
5. ^ Guglielmi, Benoit (12 January 2018). "Four things you probably didn't know about the Abidjan-Nice raid, the ancestor of the Dakar" (in French). Nice Matin. Archived from the original on 2018-01-12.
6. ^ a b "History". Dakar.com. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
7. ^ "The E.R.A. – London to Cape Town Rally – World Cup Rally Series". www.londoncapetownrally.com.
8. ^ Ginger Baker in Africa (1971) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80LfQZUxeP0
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Dakar: Retrospective, 1979-2014" (PDF). Dakar.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
10. ^ "1994 Paris-Dakar-Paris". Mitsubishi Motors. Archived from the original on 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
11. ^ "Schlesser penalised after taking lead". BBC Sport. 20 January 2001. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
12. ^ "Peterhansel's Dakar dream dies". BBC Sport. 18 January 2003. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
13. ^ "Alphand takes charge with victory". BBC Sport. 12 January 2006. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
14. ^ a b Hamilos, Paul (2008-01-05). "Dakar rally cancelled at last minute over terrorist threat". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
15. ^ "world motorsport | dakar Chile offers to host Dakar 2008". motoring.iafrica.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
16. ^ "Index – Két pótvesennyel pótolnák idén a Dakart". Index.hu. Archived from the original on 2008-03-05. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
17. ^ "2009 Dakar Rally moves to South America". The New York Times. 2008-02-11. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
18. ^ a b c d e "Gallery: Dakar winners in cars since 1979". motorsport.com. 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
19. ^ Ferreira, Ricardo (2024-12-27). "Dakar: De Neveu a Brabec, todos os vencedores do Rally Dakar". motosport (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-02-10.
20. ^ "Sainz crashes out of Dakar Rally". autosport.com. 2009-01-15. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
21. ^ Stephane Peterhansel frustrated by controversial finish autosport.com. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
22. ^ "Dakar Rally 2020. New Safari Design Team Presentation". Motorsport.com. 2019-03-09. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
23. ^ Lillo, Sergio. "Dakar 2021 to run entirely in Saudi Arabia, but on "100% new" route". Autosport.com. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
24. ^ "No Big Twins for Dakar Rally In '05". July 2004. Archived from the original on 2022-02-21. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
25. ^ a b "Dakar Bike-Quad regulations" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-01-08.
26. ^ "Original by Motul". Dakar. Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
27. ^ "Dakar 2020 – Educational Video – Original by Motul". MSN Sports. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
28. ^ "Dakar Pulls The Plug On The Quad Class For 2025". ADV Pulse. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
29. ^ a b "Dakar Car-Truck regulations" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-01-08.
30. ^ "Categories".
31. ^ "2025 Dakar Classic" (PDF). Dakar Rally. Amaury Sport Organisation. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
32. ^ "Dakar 2021 Presentation" (PDF). dakar.com. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
33. ^ a b "Dakar Retrospective 1979-2009" (PDF). Official website of the Dakar rally raid. Amaury Sport Organisation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
34. ^ "Media offers". www.dakar.com. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
35. ^ Williamson, Martin (2012-11-07). "Toby Moody – Eurosport's MotoGP Commentator and Huge Cycling Fan". VeloVeritas. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
36. ^ "Charley Boorman's long and winding road". independent. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
37. ^ "Dakar Broadcasters 2022". www.dakar.com. 2022. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
38. ^ "MAVTV Airing 2024 Dakar Rally Coverage (Updated)". 15 December 2023.
39. ^ "Dakar Desert Rally announced for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, and PC". Gematsu. 2021-12-10. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
40. ^ The Motorsport Memorial Team. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
41. ^ Brown, Robert Carlton (1988-02-01). "Disastrous days in the desert". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 68, no. 5\. pp. 20(4).
42. ^ "French Driver Dies in Paris-Dakar Rally". AP Online. Archived from the original on 2011-05-11.
43. ^ The Motorsport Memorial Team. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
44. ^ "Second boy dies during Dakar". motoring.co.za. 2006-01-14. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
45. ^ "Symons dies after crash". eurosport.co.uk. January 1, 2007. Archived from the original on January 13, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
46. ^ "Dakar hit by second death on eve of finish". Reuters. Dakar. 2007-01-20.
47. ^ "News – Africa". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2008-01-08.
48. ^ "The Times – Article". Archived from the original on December 23, 2008.
49. ^ Florer, John (2024-01-23). "Audi Makes History at the Dakar Rally". AudiSpeed.
50. ^ "Polish rider dies in Argentina during Dakar Rally". Fox News. Archived from the original on 2015-01-12.
51. ^ "Portuguese rider Paulo Gonçalves passed away". Dakar. January 12, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
52. ^ Doggett, Gina (2004-01-18). "Paris-Dakar rally brings 'little but dust', Senegalese villagers say". Agence France-Presse.
53. ^ Brooke, James (1988-03-13). "Dangerous Paris-Dakar race is endangered". The New York Times. p. 8.
54. ^ Paterne, Elodie (2001-12-28). "Protests overshadow start of Paris-Dakar race". Agence France-Presse.
55. ^ "Dakar rally gathers Saharan war clouds". The Guardian. 8 January 2001.
56. ^ "Paris-Dakar rally defies war threats in Sahara". News24. 8 January 2001. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
57. ^ "Dakar rally crosses Western Sahara with Polisario blessing". afrol News.
58. ^ Watts, Jonathan (16 January 2014). "Chile's Dakar Rally criticised by greens, archaeologists and indigenous groups". the Guardian.
59. ^ "Saudi Arabia: Repressive Site for Dakar Rally". Human Rights Watch. 3 January 2020.
60. ^ "Dakar Rally set for second Saudi outing despite 'sportswashing' row". France 24. Retrieved 2 January 2020.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dakar Rally.

* Official website (in English, Arabic, Spanish, and French)

* v
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Dakar Rally

Europe and Africa|

* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* ~~2008~~

South America|

* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019

Saudi Arabia|

* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

General topics|

* Dakar Rally competitors
* Dakar Rally records
* Dakar Rally fatal accidents
* Race to Dakar

Dakar Series|

* Silk Way Rally
* Desafio Litoral
* Merzouga Rally
* Central Europe Rally

Video games|

* Paris-Dakar Rally (2001)
* Dakar 2: The World's Ultimate Rally (2003)
* Dakar 18 (2018)
* Dakar Desert Rally (2022)

* v
* t
* e

Dakar Rally winners (cars)

* 1979: Alain Génestier (FRA)
* 1980: Freddy Kottulinsky (SWE)
* 1981: René Metge (FRA)
* 1982: Claude Marreau (FRA)
* 1983: Jacky Ickx (BEL)
* 1984: René Metge (FRA)
* 1985: Patrick Zaniroli (FRA)
* 1986: René Metge (FRA)
* 1987: Ari Vatanen (FIN)
* 1988: Juha Kankkunen (FIN)
* 1989: Ari Vatanen (FIN)
* 1990: Ari Vatanen (FIN)
* 1991: Ari Vatanen (FIN)
* 1992: Hubert Auriol (FRA)
* 1993: Bruno Saby (FRA)
* 1994: Pierre Lartigue (FRA)
* 1995: Pierre Lartigue (FRA)
* 1996: Pierre Lartigue (FRA)
* 1997: Kenjiro Shinozuka (JPN)
* 1998: Jean-Pierre Fontenay (FRA)
* 1999: Jean-Louis Schlesser (FRA)
* 2000: Jean-Louis Schlesser (FRA)
* 2001: Jutta Kleinschmidt (GER)
* 2002: Hiroshi Masuoka (JPN)
* 2003: Hiroshi Masuoka (JPN)
* 2004: Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)
* 2005: Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)
* 2006: Luc Alphand (FRA)
* 2007: Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)
* 2008: not held
* 2009: Giniel de Villiers (RSA)
* 2010: Carlos Sainz (ESP)
* 2011: Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)
* 2012: Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)
* 2013: Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)
* 2014: Nani Roma (ESP)
* 2015: Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)
* 2016: Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)
* 2017: Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)
* 2018: Carlos Sainz (ESP)
* 2019: Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)
* 2020: Carlos Sainz (ESP)
* 2021: Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)
* 2022: Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)
* 2023: Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)
* 2024: Carlos Sainz (ESP)
* 2025: Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU)

* v
* t
* e

Dakar Rally winners (bikes)

* 1979: Cyril Neveu (FRA)
* 1980: Cyril Neveu (FRA)
* 1981: Hubert Auriol (FRA)
* 1982: Cyril Neveu (FRA)
* 1983: Hubert Auriol (FRA)
* 1984: Gaston Rahier (BEL)
* 1985: Gaston Rahier (BEL)
* 1986: Cyril Neveu (FRA)
* 1987: Cyril Neveu (FRA)
* 1988: Edi Orioli (ITA)
* 1989: Gilles Lalay (FRA)
* 1990: Edi Orioli (ITA)
* 1991: Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)
* 1992: Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)
* 1993: Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)
* 1994: Edi Orioli (ITA)
* 1995: Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)
* 1996: Edi Orioli (ITA)
* 1997: Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)
* 1998: Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)
* 1999: Richard Sainct (FRA)
* 2000: Richard Sainct (FRA)
* 2001: Fabrizio Meoni (ITA)
* 2002: Fabrizio Meoni (ITA)
* 2003: Richard Sainct (FRA)
* 2004: Nani Roma (ESP)
* 2005: Cyril Despres (FRA)
* 2006: Marc Coma (ESP)
* 2007: Cyril Despres (FRA)
* 2008: not held
* 2009: Marc Coma (ESP)
* 2010: Cyril Despres (FRA)
* 2011: Marc Coma (ESP)
* 2012: Cyril Despres (FRA)
* 2013: Cyril Despres (FRA)
* 2014: Marc Coma (ESP)
* 2015: Marc Coma (ESP)
* 2016: Toby Price (AUS)
* 2017: Sam Sunderland (GBR)
* 2018: Matthias Walkner (AUT)
* 2019: Toby Price (AUS)
* 2020: Ricky Brabec (USA)
* 2021: Kevin Benavides (ARG)
* 2022: Sam Sunderland (GBR)
* 2023: Kevin Benavides (ARG)
* 2024: Ricky Brabec (USA)

* v
* t
* e

Rally raid

Marathons|

* Dakar Rally‎
* Africa Eco Race‎
* Silk Way Rally‎

Rallies|

* Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
* BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal
* Desafío Ruta 40
* Rallye du Maroc

Bajas|

* Baja Russia – Northern Forest
* Baja Aragón
* Dubai International Baja
* Jordan Baja

Series|

* World Rally-Raid Championship
* FIA World Baja Cup
* European Cup
* Middle East Cup
* FIM Bajas World Cup

Defunct|

* FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies
* FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship
* Dakar Series

| Races|

* Andalucía Rally
* Merzouga Rally
* Rally Kazakhstan
* Rallye des Pharaons

|

Organisations|

* Amaury Sport Organization
* Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
* Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* FAST

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Czech Republic
* Spain
* Israel

Other|

* Yale LUX

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